Pte 51641 Arthur John Nickson

• Age: 32
• From: Blackpool, Lancs
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 17th Btn
• K.I.A Thursday 12th October 1916
• Commemorated at: Warlencourt Brit Cem
  Panel Ref: VI.K.7

Arthur John Nickson was born on the 06th June, 1884 in Blackpool the third child of John Nickson and his wife Mary (nee Buckley) who were married at St James' Church, Oldham, Lancashire in April 1877. He was baptised on the 16th September 1884 at All Hallows, Bispham. 

In boyhood Arthur lived with his parents at the Talbot Hotel where his father was the Licensed Victualler. In earlier days Arthur’s grandfather Robert was also a Licensed Victualler at the Talbot Hotel and his father John was brought up there and took over when Robert retired. John is shown as the Licensee in the 1881 census. Licensed Victuallers were often people of some standing in the local community and John certainly was a well known figure in Blackpool as he was also a Councillor. The pub was a large building with stabling for fifty horses and also had a bowling green where a famous annual tournament took place known as the Derby of the crown green bowls world. The competition in 1886 for instance had prize money of £105, £45 (around £5000 at todays values) of which was contributed by John. The pub would stay in the Nickson family from 1856 to 1921. It was demolished in 1968 to make way for a multistory office and shops block.

The 1891 Census  at the Talbot Hotel, Talbot Road, Blackpool, shows Arthur at the age of 6 with his 40 year old father, his 38 year old mother, born in Oldham and four of his brothers, born in Blackpool – Herbert is aged 10 and a scholar, William aged 9 is also a scholar, Frank 3 and 1 year old Charles. The couple also had two older children, a son Robert Oddie aged 13 who was a boarder at Rossall School in Fleetwood and a daughter, Eliza Mary, aged 12 who was boarding at King Street school for Ladies in Whalley, Clitheroe. The census also lists seven live in staff.

Mary gave birth to another son called Ernest at the end of April 1891, but the birth was overshadowed by her death, aged 38, and she was buried on the 06th May just a few days after giving birth. The Blackpool Gazette reported that she was ill for ten days “greatly accelerated by her confinement”. Her husband John was also a local Councillor and honours were paid to his late wife at the next Council meeting saying she was “well known in the town and held in high esteem by all”.

John married Harriet Iredale in November 1895, at Christ Church, Blackpool. Harriet was listed as part of the staff of the hotel in the 1891 census. The couple had two sons Percy in 1897 and Hugh in 1899.

At the time of the 1901 Census still at the Talbot Hotel are father John is aged 58, mother Harriet is aged 38, born in Greenfield, Saddleworth, Yorkshire, Arthur aged 16, and five of his brothers Herbert Buckley 20 a brewers ?, William Harold 19 an architects pupil, Frank Iddeson 13, Charles Geoffrey 11, Ernest Walter 9, his sister Eliza Mary 22, and his two half brothers Percy 3, Hugh 1. Also living there were an uncle and nine live in staff. 

Arthur’s father John died on 07th February 1904, aged 52. He was a popular figure in the town and his funeral was attended by hundreds of people, the Blackpool Gazette reported that there were 33 carriages of people in the cortege at the funeral. Harriet took over at the Talbot Hotel after the death of her husband.

The 1911 census shows Harriet living with her own two sons Percy and Hugh who were still at school, her step sons Frank, who was a chartered accountant, Charles, a marine engineers fitter, and Ernest a marine engineers apprentice. There were ten staff live in staff at this time.

The 1911 census also records his eldest brother Robert living in Blackpool and practising as a solicitor. His brother William was married with a baby daughter and was a tea and coffee merchant, Herbert was living with William and is shown as living on private means. Eliza Mary married in 1907 and in 1911 had two young children.

Arthur was educated at King William’s College, Castletown, Isle of Man between 1897-1900. He is found in the shipping passenger manifests of 1910 as landing in Quebec in June 1910 and in the 1911 Canadian census in Ontario working as an electrician at a hydro electric plant. At some point he returned back to the UK as he married Emily Finetta Bocock at St Barnabas, Cambridge on the 14th May, 1916. His occupation is recorded as electrical engineer, but it’s not known how long they lived in Cambridge. Emily was the daughter of a farmer from Suffolk.

Under the headline “A Cambridge Wedding of Interest to Blackpool” the Blackpool Gazette published an article on June 6th 1916:

A wedding of considerable interest to Blackpool, the bridegroom being a member of one of our best known families, took place at St Barnabas Church, Cambridge, on Friday. The bridegroom was Mr Arthur John Nickson of the 6th Kings Liverpool Regiment, fourth son of the late Ald. John Nickson of Blackpool, and the bride was Miss Emily Finetta (“Netta”) Bocock youngest daughter of the late Mr and Mrs Bocock of the Manor House, Gazeby. The wedding was of a very quiet nature, only members of the two families being present.

The ceremony was performed by the Rev. E.R.Pearse, Rector of Wacton, Norfolk, brother in law of the bride, assisted by the Rev W.Norman Vicar of the parish. The bride was given away by her brother, Mr Percy Bocock of Gazeby, and Mr R.O.Nickson who is in training with the Officer Training Corps at Cambridge was the best man.

Arthur enlisted in Blackpool as Rifleman 4804 joining the 6th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment (Liverpool Rifles). He embarked aboard the SS Princess Victoria sailing from Folkestone-Boulogne on 15th July 1916. He reached the 24 Infantry Base Depot on 16th July, proceeded to 11th Entrenching Battalion on 02nd August, then proceeded to 17th Battalion K.L.R. on 05th August, and was posted from 05th September 1916 to the 17th Battalion as Private 51641.

He was killed in action on the 12th October 1916, aged 32, during the Battle of the Transloy Ridges which was part of the ongoing Somme Offensive. The couple had only been married for five months.

17th Battalion War Diary: Battle of Transloy Ridge –

11-10-16 - Gird Trench/Gird Support – Battalion in front line and support trenches. British bombardment of enemy front line system commenced about midday. Hostile shelling was intermittent throughout the day.

12-10-16 - Our bombardment continued. Enemy reply weak. 2.5 p.m. Zero hour. Attack on German front line system commenced. Enemy wire was found to be uncut and attack was unsuccessful. Hostile machine gun fire was very heavy and caused many casualties. Battalion H.Q. and Support Trench were heavily shelled throughout afternoon and evening. […] During this action all communication had to be carried out by runners and carrier pigeons as all wires were being continually cut by enemy shelling.

Casualties: 5 officers killed, 5 officers wounded, 38 OR killed, about 225 OR wounded/missing etc.

Graham Maddocks, in “Liverpool Pals” p.140, adds:

“As the whistle blew, the 17th Battalion left its trenches to move forward. […] As soon as the attacking waves left their trenches the enemy artillery began to register on them, and at the same time, the defending infantry commenced a murderous rain of fire. […] Although their numbers had been depleted by the British bombardment, they were trained and experienced soldiers, well dug in on high ground, and for the most part, looking out on uncut wire. As such, it was virtually impossible for them to miss the City Battalion men struggling to advance in the mud towards them. The 17th Battalion, on the left, was particularly badly hit, as its portion of No Man’s Land contained a slight rise in the ground, and as the troops emerged onto it they were silhouetted against the sky and became easy targets. Those on the left of the attack, who managed to avoid the hail of bullets and make it to the German wire, then found that it was totally uncut, and thus trapped, they too became easy targets, to be picked off almost at the enemy’s will. It was hardly surprising that, seeing the first waves being wiped out, some of the following waves turned back and made for their start lines. These lines were now packed with other waves of troops, however, and the fleeing men added to the congestion already there, and became easy prey for the German gunners. There is some evidence also, to suggest that at this stage, the British trenches were also being hit by their own heavy artillery shells which were falling short.”

Arthur now rests at Warlencourt British Cemetery, France, where his headstone bears the epitaph:

“TIME FLIES, SUNS RISE AND SHADOWS FALL LOVE REIGNS FOR EVER OVER ALL”

Warlencourt Cemetery is entirely a concentration cemetery, begun late in 1919 when graves were brought in from small cemeteries and the battlefields of Warlencourt and Le Sars.  The Graves Registration form shows graves from “Le Sars 6/1, 6/2, Hexham Road, Seven Elms”.

Graves were brought in from the original cemeteries at Hexham Road (Le Sars), and Seven Elms (Flers), as well as over 3,000 British graves due to the fighting which took place around the Butte de Warlencourt from the autumn of 1916 to the spring of 1917, and again in the German advance and retreat of 1918.   The cemetery now contains 3,505 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War, 1,823 of which are unidentified.

Arthur is also commemorated on the following Memorials:

King William College War Memorial

Men Of Cambridgeshire and The Isle Of Ely War Memorial.

He also has a plaque dedicated to him in All Hallows Church, Bispham, Blackpool, the church where he was baptised.

His widow emigrated to Canada after the war. She gave her address to the CWGC as 804, Foul Bay Rd., Victoria, British Columbia. Emily never remarried and died in Vancouver in April 1959.

John’s brothers also served in the Army: Robert in the Royal Garrison Artillery 141257, Herbert Royal Army Veterinary Corps 18527, Charles Royal Army Service Corps 052055 and Ernest also in the Royal Army Service Corps 182641.

Grateful thanks are extended to Kevin Shannon the author of the book The Liverpool Rifles for providing details of Arthur's service with the 6th Rifles.  

We currently have no further information on Arthur John Nickson, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.